Community is medicine

Skookum Surrey intends to revitalize Indigenous ways of being, knowing, and learning in social, community, cultural, and family systems in Surrey.

“Connection to my own culture […] & Handing that Down”

Skookum Surrey welcomes all Indigenous people who are living in the City of Surrey to join our family-friendly, intergenerational Community Gatherings! Our Community Gatherings are held once a month and they focus on creating an environment where urban Indigenous people can take part in cultural activities.

Additionally, we host gatherings for Indigenous post-secondary students in Surrey. The post-secondary gatherings alternate monthly between the Simon Fraser University and Kwantlen Polytechnic University Surrey campuses. Indigenous students come together over their shared experience and create community connection with each other. Skookum Surrey welcomes Indigenous students at SFU and KPU to join our Post-Secondary Gatherings.

All Our Relations: Honouring the Host Nations

Surrey Urban Indigenous Leadership Committee's work takes place on the traditional territories of the Coast Salish Peoples, including the Katize, Kwantlen, and Semiahmoo First Nations. We recognize their connection to this land and acknowledge that we are newcomers to Surrey like everyone else. Our group, the Surrey Urban Indigenous Leadership Committee does not represent these land-based First Nations and we are careful not to speak on their behalf. Instead, we represent urban Indigenous people that have moved here from all over BC and Canada to make Surrey their home. Our focus is making Surrey a great place for Indigenous people living in the city — regardless of where they come from, their legal status, or their particular culture heritage. As we do this, we endeavour to live in a good way with the land-based First Nations that have called this land their home since time immemorial.